This invention relates to equipment for taking bulk material from a dump and for conveying the bulk material to a processing plant of the type which includes a bridge which extends along one end face of the dump and is movable along the dump transversely of the end face, an endless scraper chain which is carried by said bridge and provided with scraper flights and revolves in a vertical plane parallel to the end face of the dump, a roller bed disposed below the delivery end of the scraper chain and connected to the bridge to move therewith, a conveyor belt which overlies the roller bed, and a conveyor type weigher incorporated in said roller bed.
Such equipment as well as equipment in which the scraper chain revolves in a horizontal plane are known from German Patent Specification No. 1,032,170 and Published German Specification No. 2,616,807. The rate at which bulk material can be taken by such equipment is virtually constant. This is not objectionable when merely a rearrangement of bulk material is desired, as is necessary with some materials, e.g., in order to prevent an undesired heating or caking. On the other hand, the bulk material taken from the dump is often supplied by the conveyor belt to a processing station, in which the bulk material is processed, e.g., by being reduced in size, ground or sorted and from which the resulting product is then removed. Processing stations may also consist of loading stations in which the bulk material is loaded on transportation equipment, such as railroad cars, motor vehicles or the like. The rate at which material is to be removed from the processing station will depend on the demand and on the number and capacity of the transportation vehicles which are available at a given time. For instance, installations used in the cement industry are provided with bins for intermediate storage or with feeding bins for receiving surplus material removed from the dump, and with means for removing material from such bins at the rate which is required for supply to grinding mills, sorting means or the like so that the latter deliver processed material at the desired rate (see periodical "Zement, Kalk, Gips", 1976, No. 11, pages 491, 496). Obviously such measures involve a considerable expenditure in equipment and it is impossible or difficult to incorporate such equipment in existing processing plants, e.g., because of a lack of space or because of excessive costs.
It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and to provide equipment which eliminates the need for intermediate storage bins at the processing station and for means for supplying and removing material to and from such bins.